Fastener for encasing measuring instruments



c. RENAUDIN 3,446,466 FASTENER FOR ENCASING MEASURING INSTRUMENTS May 27, 1969 Filed Nov. 29. 1966 United States Patent 01 Ffice 3,446,466 Patented May 27, 1969 3,446,466 FASTENER FOR ENCASING MEASURING INSTRUMENTS Camille Renaudin, 5 Impasse Billard, Morteau, Doubs, France Filed Nov. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 597,786 Claims priority, applic7ation6France, Aug. 5, 1966,

Int. Cl. 1 16b 91/00 US. Cl. 248--27 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure is concerned with a fastener for encasing the case of an indicating mechanism in an encasing element having a walled opening, the fastener being insertable in the opening and including an unthreaded tubeshaped, resilient ring adapted to receive therein the case, the fastener having a circular outer periphery and a rim at the upper part thereof, the rim overlapping the upper end of the opening, and having a plurality of small outwardly flaring legs positioned immediately below the rim and in snap-on engagement with the walls of the opening.

indicating mechanisms are generally mounted in frames or encasing elements consisting of easily machined materials, such as wood, plastics, etc., in order to give them support and more particularly to increase the aesthetic appearance of the assembly, by sculptures or decorations.

Up to now, the bodies of these devices were secured on their supports by means of small nails hidden by the glass window and which entered in the casing by passing through the part of the case supporting said glass and securing the latter on its surrounding or setting.

In addition to the fact that assembling the devices was not easy, there was furthermore the risk of harming the mechanism since in order to effect this securing, it was necessary to remove the glass and possibly the needle and the dial, which are both fragile, thus exposing the detection mechanism to dust and to shocks occasioned by hammering of the small nails. Furthermore, during repair of the barometer, it is necessary to take out the small nails in order to remove he case from its surrounding or setting, often a delicate operation which cannot be repeated since generally the nails do not fit in the same holes as these become enlarged. It is then necessary to fill these holes or to slightly shift the case with respect to the outer casing or other element in which it may be encased, which can result in the destruction of the symmetry of the assembly.

To avoid these drawbacks, the invention aims at providing a fastener permitting a simple securing of the case of instruments on their surrounding or setting. The invention provides means permitting instantaneous separation between the case and said setting, thereby permitting many dismantlings and the positioning as desired of the two members one with respect to the other. The invention results in an improved appearance and simplified assembly as well as a decrease in production costs.

To this effect, the invention is concerned with a fastening ring secured on the encasing element ornamenting a case containing a mechanism (e.g. a barometer), characterised in that it receives the cylindrical body of the case and retains it by resilient concentric clamping.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description made by way of non-limiting example and to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom view of the elastic fastening ring according to the invention.

FIGURE 1:: is a detailed view of a securing leg depending from the flange.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view partially cut away from the assembly accordng to the invention.

Reference is first made to FIGURE 1.

Ring 1 is cut from a plate of elastic material, for example of steel ribbon, in such a way as' to have a crown shape. The outer periphery 2 is circular, while the inner periphery has circular slots 3 separated by portions 4 of the same circle, which after flanging will form as many spring blades.

The crown plate, thus obtained, is then flanged so as to obtain a tube 5 (FIG. 2) concentric and perpendicular to the outer periphery and which joins the initial plane by means of a head or fillet 6 (FIG. 2) having a rather large radius. At the same time as the flanging of tube 5, there are cut and folded perpendicularly to the initial plane, at least three legs 7 having trapezoidal shape but having 0 their non parallel sides two circular grooves 8.

Reference is made to FIGURE 2.

The circular bore 10 is made in a setting 9 of the apparatus and has a diameter greater than the outer diameter of tube 5. Ring 1 is positioned concentrically to bore 10 and pressed on the setting 9 in such a way that the outwardly flaring legs 7 penetrate into the said setting or come Into snap-0n engagement therewith.

The particular shape of legs 7 causes a sure fastening.

In another form of securing on the setting 9, small nails cfzan bltle usefully employed since ring 1 is secured once and a or a Fgr a given type of measuring instrument the case of apparatus 11 has a cylindrical part 12 which always receives the same mechanism regardless of the diameter or the shape of part 13 which holds the protecting glass 14.

The part 12 of the casing is force fitted in tube 5 and is retained by the spring blades of the periphery.

Outwardly projecting, part 13 of the casing, bearing glass 14, hides ring 1 and bears against the encasing element, by means of the connecting bead or fillet 6, which has a larger diameter than that of peripheral fillet 15 of the case, the two members being complementarily profiled for mutual engagement.

In a variant of the invention, ring 1 can take all geometrical shapes capable of maintaining and clamping bodies 12 of instrument cases.

There is thus obtained a sure disassemblable, practical and aesthetic means of encasing the mechanisms in their encasing element, which, of course, may have decorative features.

Although the invention has been described with respect to one embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the same is in no way limited thereto and that many modifications of forms and materials can be resorted to without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Fastener for securing the case of an indicating mechanism in an encasing element which has a walled opening therein, said fastener being insertable in said opening and comprising an unthreaded, tube shaped ring adapted to receive therein said case; said fastener having a circular 3 4 outer periphery and an inner periphery including inwardly References Cited directed case gripping spring blades separated by arcuate UNITED STATES PATENTS cut-outs and a flange at the upper part thereof, said flange 1,042,297 10/1912 Voight 70370 overlapping the upper end of said walled opening and a 2 244 976 6/1941 Tinnerman 85 32 plurality of leg members depending from said flange in 5 2610012 9/1952 Mackey et engagement with the walls of said walled opening. u

2. Fastener according to claim 1, wherein said legs FOREIGN PATENTS have a trapezoidal shape with circular grooves in the non- 522,743 4/ 1921 France.

parallel sides thereof.

3. Fastener according to claim 1, wherein said case is 10 ROY FRAZIER Primary Examiner' force-fitted in said ring. F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner. 

